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The Ryle Raiders needed a big win in the first round of the Class 6A football playoffs on Friday to get in the right frame of mind for their toughest test of the season.
Ryle knocked off Pleasure Ridge Park, 52-22, and will take on Louisville St. Xavier, the top-ranked team in Class 6A and the statewide power rankings, in a second-round matchup next week.
“I feel real good about it,” Ryle junior quarterback Conner Hempel said of playing St. X. “I think they’re definitely beatable. They’re a really good team so we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game, but I think it’ll be a really good game.”
Hempel completed 10 of 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Pleasure Ridge Park. The Raiders also had 176 rushing yards with sophomore Travis Elliott picking up 76 yards on 15 carries and scoring three TDs.
Hempel’s touchdown passes were caught by running backs Kiefer Eubank and Deion Mullens. Each of them also has a rushing touchdown.
If there were any St. Xavier coaches scouting the game, they had to be impressed with Ryle’s balanced offensive performance.
“That’s what our offense has been built on,” said Ryle coach Bryson Warner. “We have a lot of weapons and they all played well (Friday).”
The Raiders also made some big plays on defense and special teams. An interception by sophomore defensive back Ryan Smith set up his team’s first touchdown. Ryle also scored after recovering fumbles on a kickoff and a quarterback sack.
“Our defense played great the whole game,” Smith said. “I was just glad to give us a little bit of a jump start when we needed it.”
After the interception by Smith, who was starting his first varsity game, Ryle scored on five consecutive possessions in the second and third quarters to open up a 31-0 lead.
On two of those scoring drives, Hempel lofted passes to 6-foot-7 senior Tate Nichols, who towered over Pleasure Ridge Park’s defensive backs.
“It’s great when you’ve got a weapon like Tate Nichols,” Warner said. “They felt like they had their best cornerback on him, but he’s hard to stop.”
Both teams ended up with 342 total yards. Pleasure Ridge Park had 295 rushing yards with tailback William Thompson picking up 137 on nine carries, including a 79-yard breakaway run late in the third quarter.
The Panthers had a few more big plays, but their offense was stymied by turnovers and Ryle’s defense most of the night.
“We made some mistakes and a good team like (Ryle) capitalizes on them,” said Pleasure Ridge Park coach Jason Hiser. “That’s why they’re moving on to next week and we’re not.”
Ryle will have go on the road to play St. Xavier next week in Louisville, but Warner is looking forward to the trip.
“We’ve got to go down there and play well and do what we do,” Warner said. “They’re a great football team, but we seriously think we have a shot (at winning).”
PLEASURE RIDGE PARK 0-0-8-14–22
at RYLE 0-24-14-14–52
R–Eubank 19 pass from Hempel (Pederson kick)
R–Pederson 29 FG
R–Elliott 10 run (Pederson kick)
R–Mullens 1 run (Pederson kick)
R–Mullens 20 pass from Hempel (Pederson kick)
PRP–Thompson 22 run (Taylor pass from Sumpter)
R–Elliott 42 run (Pederson kick)
PRP–Sumpter 1 run (pass failed)
R–Elliott 3 run (Pederson kick)
R–Eubank 17 run (Pederson kick)
PRP–Proffitt 2 run (Williams pass from Deacon)
RECORDS: Ryle 8-3, PRP 3-8.
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